- Still working behind the scenes on what could be a great "new" project at TrekUnited.
- Broke the news about Star Trek Specter's call for voice actors across a few of the major fan audio drama forums when I spotted it on YouTube.
- Spotted a new Trek audio drama: Space Vessel Bird, tagged it and released into back into the wild
- Started a discussion with the talented young ladies who have produced Enterprise S5, regarding the possibilities they might have of future development: adding a voice track to make it more like a 'Toon show' style animation, as a PhotoNovel or as an audioBook
- Noticed that STS The Forgotten Frontier, the web comic, is posting again
- Darker Projects is casting for a re-boot of the seminal Star Trek: The Section 31 Files.
- A sleeper favourite from last year, Henglaar, M.D, has just released episode 1.03 "Risk Factors"
- ST Outpost released episode The Shadow of the Standard Bearer (I have a few to catch up there!)
- ST Excelsior has released Sunset
- Got wind of a great article on audio drama production and the new beta for Audacity
- In the world of Trek fan films, things have been very quiet: Excalibur is still in with a chance for the Pepsi Refresh Program but ST The Romulan Wars has had to put back their release dates.
Monday, July 5, 2010
What Kirok did ... in July
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Ensign Sue Must Die!
The idea of the Mary Sue in fan fiction has become such a stereotype
that, although such characters really do exist (I've even known one in
an audio drama!), they are an object of such ridiculosity (words fail
me!) that the terrible plot becomes funny in itself. Kevin Bolk and Clare Moseley have decided to
have a little fun with the idea with a web comic series entitled...
Kevin (who does the art) and Clare (who plots the storyline and does the scripting with Kevin) shared a table in the Artist's Alley at Wizard World Philadelphia last weekend at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. I particularly like the way he has lampooned the cast of the new movie, the Spock's in episode 1, Chris Pine's Cpt Kirk in number two & four and Chekov in episode five! Checkout the series on DeviantArt, HERE.
K
Kevin (who does the art) and Clare (who plots the storyline and does the scripting with Kevin) shared a table in the Artist's Alley at Wizard World Philadelphia last weekend at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. I particularly like the way he has lampooned the cast of the new movie, the Spock's in episode 1, Chris Pine's Cpt Kirk in number two & four and Chekov in episode five! Checkout the series on DeviantArt, HERE.
K
What Kirok did ... in June
- My thread on TrekUnited, Graphics 101, has so far covered composition, photo references, body proportions, sketching using stick figures and character reference sheets.
- Started another blog to cover craft and construction projects as well as what I like to think of as men's issues, Igor's Workshop. Kicked it off with a simple idea for a budget Moleskine portfolio.
- Continued my investigation that there is more on DeviantArt than just painting and drawing, I have featured ...
The photography of Chonastock - Most of my spare time has been taken up with a secret project that could re-boot an old favourite on TrekUnited
- ...However I have been watching Star Trek Specter closely. The more of it I see the more excited I get!
Monday, May 31, 2010
What Kirok did ... in May
- Celebrated 25 years of marriage to She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed. My best friend and still the sexiest women alive.
- Started a thread on TrekUnited giving a blow-by-blow description of my attempts to re-awaken my latent graphic arts abilities. Being the lazy, uh I mean, efficient man that I am, you might find some short-cuts in there that might be of use to you.
- Continued with the thread on TU of noteworthy Star Trek material on DeviantArt, with the art of Sean Tourangeau and Chris Hoffman.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Star Trek: Specter - prepare to be amazed!
Commenced in August 2006 , Star Trek: Specter is a movie length,
fan-made animation - not a machinima! - which could well give Star Trek:
Aurora a run for its money as the animation of the year for 2010! The
sheer scope of this work - 20 scenes released so far and still going! -
is absolutely mind-boggling! This playlist puts the scenes into order
and for details - beware spoilers! - you can checkout the exhaustive
entry on the Star Trek Expanded Universe Wiki
Prepare to be amazed!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
What Kirok did ... in March
- The first issue of Acrux for this year is shaping up nicely but it is taking longer because its bigger - MUCH bigger - than normal. Got some great submissions too!
- TrekUnited has changed hands and the new management looks like continuing the site in the spirit that it has always been - unbiased, flame-retardant and fan-friendly. As Director of Media I understand that the audio and video centers which have been down for a while are to be resurrected.
- Been following a new critique blog on audio drama - Audio Drama Review
- Posting links on TU of noteworthy Star Trek material on DeviantArt, featuring the art of Trance-Master, J-Redd, MadameManga, RocketShoes, Frenchie1941
- Floating the idea of doing an original pulp audio drama instead of the Crimson Skies mini series
- Trying to clear the decks for April when I will be doing ScriptFrenzy again.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
New GoAnimations
I've been fascinated recently by the possibilities of GoAnimate, where RoTV has recently released a new video, The
Siren's Carnage, an animated graphic novel.
Checkout his production
page at GoAnimate for his previous work,
especially his first Animated comic, The
Derelict which can also be seen as a playlist on on the House of L'Stok's YouTube channel.
The other major release from GoAnimate is Ztar Trek:The Next Constipation by Section31 (on YouTube and GoAnimate), an amazing accomplishment, showing what can be done with the to extend on the generic controls of the standard package. No, that's not a typo - its worth watching, there's nothing worse than PG18 in it and it is quite witty. Checkout her previous series, two seasons of Starmada on her website as well!
The other major release from GoAnimate is Ztar Trek:The Next Constipation by Section31 (on YouTube and GoAnimate), an amazing accomplishment, showing what can be done with the to extend on the generic controls of the standard package. No, that's not a typo - its worth watching, there's nothing worse than PG18 in it and it is quite witty. Checkout her previous series, two seasons of Starmada on her website as well!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
New TAS Comic!
Based on a story by Sean Scullion and aided by contributing artists, Guy Davis and Charles Barnard,Kail has put together a neat speculative fiction story with a B Plot that is important to Farragut continuity. As always the artwork has that distinctive TAS (Star Trek: The Animated Series) look to it. I'd be interested in finding out more about the technical process of creating the artwork - it looks like a fusion of hand-drawn and computer generated graphics. Highly recommended!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Drumroll please...
Twelve months ago I was in the middle of a very invasive course of treatment which I finished in April. Today after ten months I am only two kilo's below my original weight and getting my general well-being back.
I try to make a point of facing my problems rather than waiting for them to trip me up, better to seek them out and neutralise them before they can become really threatening. In the past all my problems could be solved with effort: working, saving, building, learning, training. But no amount of skill can improve your health. No amount of work or training can change what is in your bloodstream. All I could do was take the medication and wait for it to run its course, putting up with the side-effects that turned me into a stranger.
I spent a year waging a war made up of battles that I could not win, but a war that I might be able to walk away from as the victor if I could only endure the indignities, counting off the days. This was one problem that I was literally powerless to change and for me that was Hell. Far worse than the physical effects the treatment had on me though, was the fact that it robbed me of the one thing that defined me as an individual. It stole my Chi, my confidence.
After six months of restoring my physical health I started to face the problem of rebuilding that confidence in myself. I started an ambitious audio project in a new fandom - Crimson Skies - and started to realise: I can do this. However before I could go ahead with it, I needed to do The Twelve Trek Days of Christmas, officially started it on December 19, something that I have come to see as an obligation to Star Trek fandom, my way of giving something back to the many great fan production groups in return for all the friendship, enjoyment and inspiration that they have given me over the year.
I am only responsible for nine "Days", two of them, Days 3 and 8, were the work of TWERP and Final Frontier Media respectively, and the eBook publishing is being handled out of Ad Astra this year. I'll soon be finished, I'm expecting to have the last two done by February 19, which means that I will have completed nine major projects in two months!
Hmmm Guess what? [Drumroll please] I've just realised that I've got my Chi back!
I try to make a point of facing my problems rather than waiting for them to trip me up, better to seek them out and neutralise them before they can become really threatening. In the past all my problems could be solved with effort: working, saving, building, learning, training. But no amount of skill can improve your health. No amount of work or training can change what is in your bloodstream. All I could do was take the medication and wait for it to run its course, putting up with the side-effects that turned me into a stranger.
I spent a year waging a war made up of battles that I could not win, but a war that I might be able to walk away from as the victor if I could only endure the indignities, counting off the days. This was one problem that I was literally powerless to change and for me that was Hell. Far worse than the physical effects the treatment had on me though, was the fact that it robbed me of the one thing that defined me as an individual. It stole my Chi, my confidence.
After six months of restoring my physical health I started to face the problem of rebuilding that confidence in myself. I started an ambitious audio project in a new fandom - Crimson Skies - and started to realise: I can do this. However before I could go ahead with it, I needed to do The Twelve Trek Days of Christmas, officially started it on December 19, something that I have come to see as an obligation to Star Trek fandom, my way of giving something back to the many great fan production groups in return for all the friendship, enjoyment and inspiration that they have given me over the year.
I am only responsible for nine "Days", two of them, Days 3 and 8, were the work of TWERP and Final Frontier Media respectively, and the eBook publishing is being handled out of Ad Astra this year. I'll soon be finished, I'm expecting to have the last two done by February 19, which means that I will have completed nine major projects in two months!
Hmmm Guess what? [Drumroll please] I've just realised that I've got my Chi back!
Monday, February 8, 2010
What Kirok did ... in February
The Twelve Trek Days of Christmas is winding to a close. This year I am determined that I will complete all the days even if it means dragging into the second month of the new year! Just to keep you abreast of what I am working on...
- Day 10, paper models, is about a quarter done - the sticking point is the fiddly formatting to put it up on the blog - I released as far as The Original Series early in the month.
- The command structure of the USS Southern Cross, an Australasian Star Trek fan club that has always been family friendly, has started a push to improve the fan experience for parents and children
- Over the weekend of Feb 6/7th we, myself and She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, flew up to the borderlands of the Purple People for a gathering of the clans to celebrate the Diamond Wedding Anniversary of The L'Stok of L'Stoks - my parents. Great weekend with all the credit going to my sisters and nieces.
- On the air trip up there and back I was able to write a little more of Trek Twelfth Night and catch up with some audio ...
- TWERPcast 19 BondCast
- TWERPcast 34 HolmesCast
- Star Trek: The Continuing Mission Ep.6, "We Will Control All That You See And Hear"
- Back-tracked and listened to the last episode of ST: Grissom before the latest one.
- From an aside on sffaudio I discovered RadioArchive.cc an amazing repository of Audio! A great resource that I agree will bring the BBC more listeners rather than lose them revenue. I'm currently downloading Under Milk Wood as narrated by Sir Richard Burton in 1963 - a national treasure!
What Kirok did ... in January
The Twelve Trek Days of Christmas ALL MONTH!
- Day 4: A comprehensive guide to every Star Trek audio drama known as at the posting date. Are they good? That's for you to decide!
- Day 5: Five seminal fan films created between 1969 - 2000 that paved the way for the fan film sub-culture we are enjoying today.
- Day 6: Once the preserve of the big production houses with their teams of talented artists, computer graphics have brought animation within the reach of 'everyman'. What is being made, how and by whom?
- Day 7: Star Trek: Twelfth Night - An appropriation of Shakespeare's classic comedy! Have you ever noticed how in a mirror, everything is turned about?
- Day 8: Last year's survey of Music Videos makes a return as Sebastiaan van Mierlo, the owner of Final Frontier Media, gives us his pick of the top Star Trek music videos of all time!
- Day 9: The new and improved Twelve Trek Days of Christmas "Compendium of Games", a survey of fan-made and commercial games based on Star Trek including quick-start rules for a custom-made RPG system, Fantasy Trek
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Star Trek: The Early Years breaks new ground
I was wondering how long it would take. A new fan film production group has surfaced that aims to create what I believe is the first fan film tied in to the new movie from JJ Abrams, to be called Star Trek: The Early Years.
A thread on the official movie forum first led me to their MySpace page (and its virtually identical twin on Trekspace) where I first saw their teaser trailer, which is in turn housed on Vimeo, and I can honestly say that if this is any indication of the quality of the work we can expect, this is going to be the one to watch next year!
Online for five months, it showcases the USS Kelvin 3D model by Tobias Richter of LightWorks in a short sequence created in Blender, Adobe After Effects, Premiere and Soundbooth. The music is based on "To Boldy Go" from the Star Trek (2009) soundtrack with some add-ins by the film's maker.
The project has been around since at least March, when they announced that CutshawKane Reel Music out of Kings Mountain, NC will be providing additional music for our episodes. So far they have a principal cast and crew plus a guest cast for their first episode which is due to film in North Carolina in 2010
Pretty impressive, in fact you can see a trend here: they are all pro or semi-pro cast and crew, some with substantial backgrounds and demo reels. This is the work of an independent film-maker who is using a Star Trek fan film as a vehicle to practice his art. Its been done quite successfully in other fandoms, most noticeably the DC 'verse, and last year by D. R. Quintana's Star Trek: Beyond.
Ethically there is nothing wrong with it at all as long as they stick to the rules and don't divert any revenue from the copyright owners. This however is an example of how professionals can gain something that cannot be measured in dollars: public and professional visibility. We, the fans, win as does the copyright owner by the free fan prublicity. If they were to prosecute people for doing things for the glory that they might bring then I'd be behind bars right now!
A thread on the official movie forum first led me to their MySpace page (and its virtually identical twin on Trekspace) where I first saw their teaser trailer, which is in turn housed on Vimeo, and I can honestly say that if this is any indication of the quality of the work we can expect, this is going to be the one to watch next year!
Online for five months, it showcases the USS Kelvin 3D model by Tobias Richter of LightWorks in a short sequence created in Blender, Adobe After Effects, Premiere and Soundbooth. The music is based on "To Boldy Go" from the Star Trek (2009) soundtrack with some add-ins by the film's maker.
The project has been around since at least March, when they announced that CutshawKane Reel Music out of Kings Mountain, NC will be providing additional music for our episodes. So far they have a principal cast and crew plus a guest cast for their first episode which is due to film in North Carolina in 2010
Pretty impressive, in fact you can see a trend here: they are all pro or semi-pro cast and crew, some with substantial backgrounds and demo reels. This is the work of an independent film-maker who is using a Star Trek fan film as a vehicle to practice his art. Its been done quite successfully in other fandoms, most noticeably the DC 'verse, and last year by D. R. Quintana's Star Trek: Beyond.
Ethically there is nothing wrong with it at all as long as they stick to the rules and don't divert any revenue from the copyright owners. This however is an example of how professionals can gain something that cannot be measured in dollars: public and professional visibility. We, the fans, win as does the copyright owner by the free fan prublicity. If they were to prosecute people for doing things for the glory that they might bring then I'd be behind bars right now!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Fan Producer gets go ahead for STO Radio
Kinneas, co-founder with Zach Nicodemous of Hailing Frequencies, the primary source of my intelligence on Star Trek gaming, has achieved a long term goal that will give him the opportunity to play a leading part in the world of Star Trek Online, both In Character and Out Of Character! From the announcement on the Hailing Frequencies website and forum...
Cryptic Studios and Gaming Radio Network are to be congratulated for taking the so far unique stand of giving a fan production group the opportunity to show that they can cut it in the world of MMOG entertainment media!
Dude, I am so jealous! (^V^)
'Gaming Radio Network', Creators of EVE Radio... are an amazingly professional group with many years of experience entertaining MMO audiences and were very receptive to my ideas on what I would do if I had a Star Trek Online Radio station.The first thing I have to say is, CONGRATULATIONS!!! Sport, you've got the talent and drive to do this. The work of all concerned with Hailing Frequencies, both as a podcast, an online fanzine and gaming news site and forum is an example to the fan production community of what can be done with imagination and drive.
So they gave me a fully developed station and all the creative control I will need to work with potential Role-Playing (and non- Role Playing ) DJ's who want to be the voices of the United Federation, Klingon Empire and all the realms in-between and beyond. As well as the freedom to work with the Fleets of Star Trek Online to provide them a way to promote themselves or spread empire news.
Cryptic Studios and Gaming Radio Network are to be congratulated for taking the so far unique stand of giving a fan production group the opportunity to show that they can cut it in the world of MMOG entertainment media!
Dude, I am so jealous! (^V^)
----------------------- ghIj qet jaghmeyjaj ------------------------
----------------- May your enemies run with fear -------------------
----------------- May your enemies run with fear -------------------
Saturday, December 5, 2009
What Kirok did ... in December
Getting buckled down to The Twelve Days of Christmas and Radio Liberty but I still can't resist giving people the benefit of my two strips of Latinum. My current bee-in-my-bonnet is how to publicise fan productions to mainstream audiences without it favouring the high profile productions whilst giving a potential audience enough information for them to be tempted to watch/listen/read/play a fan produced item.
- The idea was one I'd pondered before but it was brought to the fore by a valid comment by Professor Moriarty on the Trek BBS.
- A comment to an otherwise interesting interview with Clive Young caused me to expand on my thoughts with the aid one of Clive's descriptions.
- Made some suggestions to Barbreader for how she could improve on the functionality of her website, Star Trek Reviewed, that reminded me that I had never mentioned it here. It is an immensely useful resource for finding a vast array of Star Trek fan productions.
- Recently lost my beloved but aging iPaq and my capability for reading eBooks went with it! After looking at other PDA options, and because I am jealous of my son's iPod Touch, I decided to see what possibilities there were in the way of mobile phone aps for a Nokia N5730
- Posted to the Star Trek Paper Modeller's Yahoo Group that gamestockmassena has found a new home for the fan-made constructable card game, "Pirates of the Federation" and in the process updated the gaming material.
- Experimented with Playlists on my YouTube channel.
- Mooted the possibilities of audio dramas tying in to fan film fanchises.
- Looking for group!!! Fleet Captain James Cecil, CO of the USS Commonwealth, a Kentucky based Star Trek fan club, part of Starfleet International, is interested in starting a fan film. Voyages Of The Funakoshi will take place during the TNG era, more precisely right after the events of the movie STAR TREK: Generations and he has open positions right across the board: writers, actors, camera operators, sound recorders, Special Effects and makeup artists. Interested parties can email him at jcecil5@adelphia.net.
- December 19 - Officially started the 2009 Twelve Trek Days of Christmas
- Day 1: A simple to construct game board and playing pieces for Klin Zha, the Klingon equivalent to chess. Just cut, fold, glue and play. (I'm open to suggestions for new playing pieces!)
- Day 2: A hyperlinked guide to fan reporting in 2009 - from UseNet to social networking, from fanzines to podcasts
- Day 3: With the down-turn in the economy, this year I could only afford two wise men as the team from TWERPs podcasted about religion and politics in Star Trek in their third annual Trekcast.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Star Trek: Eras 104 - Tough Decisions
With Star Trek: Eras' latest release, Tough Decisions, Jim, Ken and the production group at TWERP have given us a good adventure drama with considerably more action than their previous episodes. Its a 'bottle show', which helps new listeners, whilst at the same time bringing back characters from previous shows which helps to fill out their back-story. So, if you haven't listened to an episode of Eras before now, this is a good place to start!
However this time around there's an even stronger reason for me to urge you to listen to this episode. It is one of the most striking speculative fiction episodes I've seen to date in a Star Trek fan production and because of that you will either love it or hate it.
I define good speculative fiction as something that makes us think about the world around us by drawing fictional parallels, such as the way that Tolkein was perceived to be commenting on English society in Lord of the Rings.
Trek fan productions rarely deal with the hot topics of our real life world, although there are notable exceptions of which Tough Decisions is one. As a paper-thin portrayal of the Iraqi conflict in a Star Trek context, I applaud Jim and Ken for their courage in putting it on the line for us. The allied involvement in Iraq is controversial because of its origins, its conduct and its outcomes and Jim and Ken have their own take on the moral and sociological aspects of it.
Did they get it right?
Define "right" for me.
They made me think, so - yeah, they got it right for me. Because making you think is what it is all about, not convincing you that their take is the right take.
I think it would be short-sighted to get caught up in arguments about this as a commentary on current affairs though, because the issues are much bigger than that. I can see this episode as opening up avenues of dialogue about a half dozen philosophical and ethical issues, not the least of which is the question of the universality of personal values which is so important to Star Trek.
Haven't you ever wondered about the paradox of how the Roddenberry dream can espouse IDIC - Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations - and yet the quadrant is ruled by a federation that must, for its very survival, have fixed, core values that all the members must respect? Doesn't this say: we love your diversity as long as you are not diverse in ways that we disagree with? What about the right of a member planet to constitutionally recognise canibalism? Ritual suicide? Could the Klingons ever be recognised because of their tradition of hegh'bat?
I urge you to listen to Tough Decisions, enjoy it as entertainment and then think about this... where do your rights end and mine begin? Are there some absolute values in ethics that should be enforced across all cultures? Is this showing strength of convictions or is this a conviction of strength?
Your answer to the questions might tell you a lot about yourself and your own values.
However this time around there's an even stronger reason for me to urge you to listen to this episode. It is one of the most striking speculative fiction episodes I've seen to date in a Star Trek fan production and because of that you will either love it or hate it.
I define good speculative fiction as something that makes us think about the world around us by drawing fictional parallels, such as the way that Tolkein was perceived to be commenting on English society in Lord of the Rings.
Trek fan productions rarely deal with the hot topics of our real life world, although there are notable exceptions of which Tough Decisions is one. As a paper-thin portrayal of the Iraqi conflict in a Star Trek context, I applaud Jim and Ken for their courage in putting it on the line for us. The allied involvement in Iraq is controversial because of its origins, its conduct and its outcomes and Jim and Ken have their own take on the moral and sociological aspects of it.
Did they get it right?
Define "right" for me.
They made me think, so - yeah, they got it right for me. Because making you think is what it is all about, not convincing you that their take is the right take.
I think it would be short-sighted to get caught up in arguments about this as a commentary on current affairs though, because the issues are much bigger than that. I can see this episode as opening up avenues of dialogue about a half dozen philosophical and ethical issues, not the least of which is the question of the universality of personal values which is so important to Star Trek.
Haven't you ever wondered about the paradox of how the Roddenberry dream can espouse IDIC - Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations - and yet the quadrant is ruled by a federation that must, for its very survival, have fixed, core values that all the members must respect? Doesn't this say: we love your diversity as long as you are not diverse in ways that we disagree with? What about the right of a member planet to constitutionally recognise canibalism? Ritual suicide? Could the Klingons ever be recognised because of their tradition of hegh'bat?
I urge you to listen to Tough Decisions, enjoy it as entertainment and then think about this... where do your rights end and mine begin? Are there some absolute values in ethics that should be enforced across all cultures? Is this showing strength of convictions or is this a conviction of strength?
Your answer to the questions might tell you a lot about yourself and your own values.
----------------batlHa' vangIu'taHvIS quv chavbe'lu' ---------------
------ One does not achieve honour while acting dishonourably ------
-------------------------- Kirok of L'Stok -------------------------
------ One does not achieve honour while acting dishonourably ------
-------------------------- Kirok of L'Stok -------------------------
Friday, November 6, 2009
What Kirok did ... in November
I post a lot over a wide variety of boards and a lot of what I would like to highlight in Acrux gets lost so here are links to discussions I've had this month over the wide world of the web ...
- Part of a great discussion about how fan-made audio dramas could increase their appeal to mainstream listeners on TrekBBS
- Started a thread on TrekUnited for Starmada, the GoAnimate animation series
- After Glenn Jupp posted the details of his first business card sized model suitable as a game piece on the StarTrekPaperModels Yahoo Group, I developed on the thread by asking other card designers if they wanted to do something in a similar vein.
- Discovered that the fan-made game mod, "Pirates of the Federation" did not disappear when its Geocities website went down. The creator also has a Yahoo Group called, strangely enough, piratesofthefederation.
- Found out that there was a third, or more correctly another version of the second pilot for The Original Series of Star Trek! My thanks to Igor of Sydney Trek for the heads-up.
- Got all didactic about the difference between an audio book and an audio drama.
- Listened to the new release from ST Eras and its such good speculative fiction that I'm posting about it on Trek United, Audio Drama Talk and the Hidden Frontier and ST Intrepid forums.
- LOOKING FOR GROUP! Star Trek: Valkyrie, a new family oriented Trek audio drama is looking for three male Voice Actors. Casting call, Intro post on FH forums & pilot/trailer.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Henglaar, MD Premiere
With the end of Star Trek: Hidden Frontier in 2007, various groups actively lobbied to continue aspects of the series as spin-offs besides the sweeping story arcs of Odyssey and The Helena Chronicles. Several of the cast had gathered strong followings and two series were started to cover them: Federation One which features Matt McCabe, and Henglaar MD which continues the story of the medico of the USS Excelsior who was a regular on the show from the first episode in 2000.
Henglaar is devastated after the events that formed the climax of season seven of ST HF and the premiere episode of this series, Recalled To Life, acts as a bridge between the two series, or if you've never seen the fan film an introduction. John Whiting has a distinctive gravelly voice that perfectly characterises his portrayal of the curmudgeonly Dr. Henglaar. He's supported in the opening episode by other ST HF characters including Silan, Henglaar's niece, played since ep. 7.04 by Heather Ashleigh and the star-crossed lovers, Traya Knapp, voiced by Sara Jo Elice and her Cardassian paramour, Pelas, which sees the return of Tim Foutch.The strength of the production though lies in its new direction rather than its past. Henglaar is looking to quietly bury himself in his work and finds a niche for himself as the mentor of an unlikely trio of medical students, a human, a Vulcan and a Ferrengi played by Tim Fritts, Jeannie Lin and Mark Samarias. John's performance of Henglaar meets its match in a fiery delivery by Melodee M. Spevack as Cpt Dana Russell the master of the ship that the action takes place on. The interplay between these two characters was the highpoint of this production for me and I'll be bitterly disappointed if Melodee isn't a regular!
Henglaar, MD is an interesting show that breaks new ground for Star Trek fan audio dramas. I'm not oblivious to the parallels between this and a certain TV series that features a similarly irascible doctor who uses a cane but I'm afraid if this was what it was trading on its lost on me since I've never watched it. Medical drama revolves around people, it is heavy with tension and dialog, and, refreshingly, does not have to involve militaristic conflict. I'll be interested to see how well this translates into a different media, audio drama, and an unusual setting, the Star Trek universe.Released on July 29 (Running Time 40:23; 37mb) and featured in the HFP August newsletter, the script for the pilot, by director Eric Weaver, was finished by February as was the recording of the series theme by Mary Kouyoumdjian, another departure from the usual fare. It is available as a direct download from the episode webpage on the HFP website where you can also find a preview and an iTunes feed … but no RSS feed for those of us who have freed our mp3 players from the demon ahToonz!
Altogether a good start to what could be a unique venture.Monday, May 18, 2009
Farragut: Animated launch imminent?
Playing catch-up with Starship Farragut: The Animated Adventures ...
- March 1, 2009 – "NEO f/x and Farragut Films today opened their new web site www.farragut-animated.com for the special, 2-episode release of Starship Farragut, The Animated Episodes ... The new web site complements the animated episodes with special downloads and biographies on the actors involved with this production,” explained Michael Struck, manager of the NEO f/x team. “In addition, when the episodes are released, the web site will act as a central location to download and watch the individual acts.” [Source: farragut-animated.com]
- 06 April, 2009 - "NEO f/x (in association with Farragut Films) has released a trailer for "Power Source", written by Thomas J. Scott. This is the first installment of a special, 2-episode release of Starship Farragut, The Animated Episodes. These new episodes are the first animated Star Trek to be produced since Filmation wrapped production of the original series in 1974. About the episode: Captain Carter and the USS Farragut (NCC-1647) are dispatched to search for the USS Azrael (NCC-517) under the command of Captain Glenn, only to find that they may be the ones being searched for. The trailer is available for viewing and/or download in the "extras" section of the farragut-animated.com web site. [Source: Starship Farragut]
- The Extras section of farragut-animated.com is updated most Mondays and includes some well designed images and DVD labels of the major characters ... DVD labels? According to the FAQ section, "the internet release will include ISO data files and DVD artwork for downloading so you may make your own DVDs". But will they still be computer files or will I be able to play them on my TVs DVD player?
STOP PRESS!
NEO f/x and Farragut Films have just announced ...
The first act of "Power Source" will be released at 8:00 am PST on July 20th, 2009, to commemorate the first moon landing by Neil Armstrong in 1969. Acts 2 and 3 will follow in August, with the entire episode available to download by August 31, 2009
K
Monday, May 11, 2009
New canon versus old canon
Inevitably the new movie has raised a certain amount of controversy over canon. Unlike most posts, I can't discuss this without mentioning details so ...
BEWARE - MOVIE SPOILERS IN THIS POST
Forty years of Star Trek canon has been thrown away!
No it's not. What we have to ask here is: does the universe in which all the other series were set in still "exist"? Spock and Nero are thrown back in time from 2387 to 2258 where Nero destroys the USS Kelvin, killing James T. Kirk's father and altering his life, and then destroys the planet Vulcan making a major change to the United Federation of Planets.
Spock specifically says in the movie that Nero's changes to the timeline create an "alternate universe" which in Treknological terms (what the unkindly might call technobabble) is "a separate and self-contained universe existing as a consequence of different choices and outcomes than those that have led to our own [or prime] universe." The concept is a bit of a stple in sci fi, in one episode, "Parallels", there are Enterprises from 285,000 universes altogether at one point!
The definitive canon answer comes from the writer, Bob Orci, in a conversation he had with Anthony Pasquale in December last year on Trekmovie.com ...
That's canon in the "Prime Universe", it happens in 2387 and it is proving to be an a major stumbling block for some fans. There is a whole section of Trek fandom that specifically focuses on Romulus, with their own fanon lore and language resources, that is understandably upset about the idea that the central planet of the Star Empire has been summarily blown away from Star Trek canon!
The future must seem very uncertain for them however this could be seen as an opportunity for a more exciting future for their chosen section of fandom. If we take the oft given advice that good storytelling needs conflict to excel then this could as literally re-invigorating the Romulan sub-plot. Was Remus destroyed as well? Will the Remans and other subject races use this as an opportunity to throw off the reins of the empire? If relations with the Federation have been improving since the events of Nemesis will the Empire turn to the UFP for help? Or will they see the destruction as a failure of the Vulcans as Nero did and drop back into their old xenophobic ways? The Romulans could be in a lot better situation than the Vulcans are in the new continuity because, as with the ancient Roman empire, there would be survived by colonies, planets and whole star systems that would consider themselves ethnically and culturally Romulan even though they might not have set foot on Romulus itself.
The other vexing problem that the destruction of Romulus will cause, is that some fan productions, most noticably some fan fiction series, are supposed to take place after 2387 and do not (of course) mention the destruction of the Romulan homeworld. I truly sympathise because I know that they not only represent an objective investment of time, skill and commitment but there can also be a very personal attachment between a fan fiction author and their book. I'm sure professional authors feel a similar connection with their work but they are primarily professionals, what they do will put food on their table and send their children to college. A fan fiction author is telling a story that is a part of them, their baby.
The truth of the matter is that no fan production will ever be canon even though the majority of writers and producers try their best to make their productions mesh with established canon, researching the technology, locations and cultures so that their own work rings true to other fans who might be reading.
Fan fiction authors caught in this situation still have a few options. They could add a disclaimer to their story to the effect that their work follows Trek canon up to 2387, a prospective reader could think of them as an alternate reality that branches off at that date. Alternatively, if a large enough number of authors agreed they could cooperate on a continuity that specifically saw the 2387 destruction of Romulus as an event that happened in an alternate universe, making their own "fanon universe". Examples of such Fanon cooperatives are USS Liberty, United Trek and many of the Virtual Seasons like Star Trek: Reborn. Or they could "retcon" their previous works to whatever extent they wanted or felt was necessary to bring it into line with canon.
I would encourage new works to include the 'Romulan event', personally I can see how it could open up a lot of plot possibilities but the idea of multiple alternate universes needs to be handled delicately - at what point does more freedom from canon become anarchy? Would we be in danger of having a Japanese style attitude towards canon where Anime characters and plotlines can change from one season to the next?
BEWARE - MOVIE SPOILERS IN THIS POST
Forty years of Star Trek canon has been thrown away!
No it's not. What we have to ask here is: does the universe in which all the other series were set in still "exist"? Spock and Nero are thrown back in time from 2387 to 2258 where Nero destroys the USS Kelvin, killing James T. Kirk's father and altering his life, and then destroys the planet Vulcan making a major change to the United Federation of Planets.
Spock specifically says in the movie that Nero's changes to the timeline create an "alternate universe" which in Treknological terms (what the unkindly might call technobabble) is "a separate and self-contained universe existing as a consequence of different choices and outcomes than those that have led to our own [or prime] universe." The concept is a bit of a stple in sci fi, in one episode, "Parallels", there are Enterprises from 285,000 universes altogether at one point!
The definitive canon answer comes from the writer, Bob Orci, in a conversation he had with Anthony Pasquale in December last year on Trekmovie.com ...
Anthony: OK so let's call the timeline Nero left, as `the prime timeline', soOK, so where does that leave the destruction of Romulus?
that means that the USS Kelvin, as designed and seen in the trailer, that is
also in the prime timeline?
Bob: Yes
Anthony: So what happens with the destruction of the Kelvin is the creation of
an alternative timeline, but what happens to the prime timeline after Nero
leaves it? Does it continue or does it wink out of existence once he goes back
and creates this new timeline.
Bob: It continues. According to the most successful, most tested scientific
theory ever, quantum mechanics, it continues.
Anthony: So everyone in the prime timeline, like Picard and Riker, are still off
doing there thing, it is just that Nero is gone.
Bob: Yes, and you will notice that whenever the movie comes out, that whatever
DVDs you have purchased, will continue to exist.
That's canon in the "Prime Universe", it happens in 2387 and it is proving to be an a major stumbling block for some fans. There is a whole section of Trek fandom that specifically focuses on Romulus, with their own fanon lore and language resources, that is understandably upset about the idea that the central planet of the Star Empire has been summarily blown away from Star Trek canon!
The future must seem very uncertain for them however this could be seen as an opportunity for a more exciting future for their chosen section of fandom. If we take the oft given advice that good storytelling needs conflict to excel then this could as literally re-invigorating the Romulan sub-plot. Was Remus destroyed as well? Will the Remans and other subject races use this as an opportunity to throw off the reins of the empire? If relations with the Federation have been improving since the events of Nemesis will the Empire turn to the UFP for help? Or will they see the destruction as a failure of the Vulcans as Nero did and drop back into their old xenophobic ways? The Romulans could be in a lot better situation than the Vulcans are in the new continuity because, as with the ancient Roman empire, there would be survived by colonies, planets and whole star systems that would consider themselves ethnically and culturally Romulan even though they might not have set foot on Romulus itself.
The other vexing problem that the destruction of Romulus will cause, is that some fan productions, most noticably some fan fiction series, are supposed to take place after 2387 and do not (of course) mention the destruction of the Romulan homeworld. I truly sympathise because I know that they not only represent an objective investment of time, skill and commitment but there can also be a very personal attachment between a fan fiction author and their book. I'm sure professional authors feel a similar connection with their work but they are primarily professionals, what they do will put food on their table and send their children to college. A fan fiction author is telling a story that is a part of them, their baby.
The truth of the matter is that no fan production will ever be canon even though the majority of writers and producers try their best to make their productions mesh with established canon, researching the technology, locations and cultures so that their own work rings true to other fans who might be reading.
Fan fiction authors caught in this situation still have a few options. They could add a disclaimer to their story to the effect that their work follows Trek canon up to 2387, a prospective reader could think of them as an alternate reality that branches off at that date. Alternatively, if a large enough number of authors agreed they could cooperate on a continuity that specifically saw the 2387 destruction of Romulus as an event that happened in an alternate universe, making their own "fanon universe". Examples of such Fanon cooperatives are USS Liberty, United Trek and many of the Virtual Seasons like Star Trek: Reborn. Or they could "retcon" their previous works to whatever extent they wanted or felt was necessary to bring it into line with canon.
I would encourage new works to include the 'Romulan event', personally I can see how it could open up a lot of plot possibilities but the idea of multiple alternate universes needs to be handled delicately - at what point does more freedom from canon become anarchy? Would we be in danger of having a Japanese style attitude towards canon where Anime characters and plotlines can change from one season to the next?
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